15 London Christmas Lights Tours Worth Booking Ahead

1.Christmas Lights Nighttime Bus Tour with Live Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 3,720 reviews · from $40Our pick

Take a 1.5-hour open-top bus tour past London’s Christmas lights and landmarks, including Regent Street, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and the London Eye. An English-speaking guide shares city history and festive details. Guides have included Emma, Gee and Harriet; traffic can extend the ride, so dress warmly and allow extra time.

“The route and guide were excellent but didn’t think you should have to pay for a 2 year old on your lap”

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2.London by Night Bus Tour with Christmas Lights and Live Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,040 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $41

Ride an open-top bus from the London Eye through the West End, passing Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Oxford Street, Fortnum & Mason, and Big Ben. A live English-speaking guide shares London history and Christmas traditions. The ride lasts about 60 to 90 minutes, with no stops or restroom on board.

“Knowledgeable announcer with a lovely voice. The time flew by and we got to see many major attractions.”

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3.Christmas Lights Tour by Vintage Double-Decker Bus

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 245 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $43

Ride a restored vintage double-decker through London’s Christmas lights, including Oxford Street, Regent Street and Knightsbridge. Your English-speaking guide points out landmarks such as Big Ben and Trafalgar Square, with entertaining commentary along the way. The 90-minute tour starts at Gate 0 inside Victoria Coach Station. Upper-deck seats are not guaranteed, and warm layers are essential.

“Such a wonderful Christmas experience. The tour guide Frank was extremely knowledgeable and very cheerful. The bus driver Michael drove us around extremely safely. Highly recommend this tour. Very well organised.”

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4.Tootbus Christmas Lights Tour incl walking tours

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 227 reviews · from $45

Ride a double-decker for an hour-long Christmas lights circuit from 1 Coventry St, passing Trafalgar Square, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Soho, Oxford Street, Marble Arch and Grosvenor Square. An English-speaking guide provides live commentary; audio is available in 10 languages. The Tootbus app also includes audio-guided walks and a Christmas playlist.

“Not great if you don't speak English. We are bothered by the noise the guide makes with his microphone and we can't hear the audio through the headphones which barely work. We also spend more time in traffic jams and are stuck in place for an hour, in short I don't recommend it.”

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5.London Christmas Lights Bike Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 70 reviews · 3 hours · from $60

Set off from Lambeth with a bicycle, helmet, lights, and an English-speaking guide, then ride at a leisurely pace through London’s Christmas-lit streets. The route includes Southbank, the London Eye, Big Ben, Harrods, and festive shopping districts. Guides named on recent tours include Sam, Dominic, Chris, and George.

“Onze gids was geweldig! Chapeau Chris👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Hele leuke ervaring en weer veel nieuwe stukjes van londen gezien.”

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6.London Christmas Lights Open-Top Bus Tour. 2025 Early Bird

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 51 reviews · from $26

See London By Night’s one-hour Christmas lights tour links Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Westminster. You ride an open-top bus with an English-speaking guide, starting and ending beside the Ritz and Green Park station. Guide Chris has been praised for lively, informative commentary.

“Our guide Chris was informative and very entertaining. Plus the sights of Christmas in London are hard to beat!”

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7.Christmas Day Sightseeing Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 42 reviews · 1 hour · from $43

Board at Westminster Millennium Pier for a one-hour circular Thames cruise aboard a modern boat with a heated cabin and open upper deck. The crew provides live commentary, with recorded commentary available in eight languages. Pass Tower Bridge, the London Eye, Shakespeare’s Globe and more; drinks, mulled wine and mince pies are sold on board.

“Contrairement à ce qui est marqué, il n’y a pas de traduction en plusieurs langues, dommage pour ceux qui ne sont pas encore a l’aise avec l’anglais Cependant, superbe croisière au départ du Palais de Westminster jusqu’à Tower Bridge, je recommande car ça permet de commencer la journée tranquillement et en ce temps frais, le bateau es chauffé”

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8.Christmas Lights Tour in a Black Cab

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 27 reviews · 2.5 hours Top rated

Take a 2.5-hour private Christmas lights tour of London in an iconic black cab, with an English-speaking licensed taxi driver and registered guide. You’ll see illuminated city sights, stop for photos and refreshments, and return to your central hotel or finish in central London. Guides associated with the tour include Andrew, Gordon and Steve.

“Gordon was so fun! Our family got to see all of the Christmas sights, had pictures with everyone together and see some of the more “secret” places we wouldn’t have found on our own. Great start to our London vacation!”

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9.Christmas Eve City Tour with Dinner & Midnight Mass

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 25 reviews · 6 hours · from $172

Spend six hours seeing London’s landmark buildings lit for Christmas, with a guide aboard a luxury coach. Dinner in Covent Garden includes three courses and prosecco, followed by Midnight Mass at St Martin-in-the-Fields. The tour meets at Bulleid Way and ends with a drop-off within walking distance of central London hotels.

“La visite de la ville en autocar dure trop longtemps. On passe plusieurs fois par les mêmes lieux. Le restaurant est un bel établissement, mais l'organisation est un désastre. La messe est un moment magique, avec une belle chorale et se déroule dans les temps. La prise en charge pour le retour à notre hôtel est bien organisé. Mention à notre chauffeur et à notre guide !”

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10.Christmas Party Lunch Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 17 reviews · 3 hours · from $101

Sail from Westminster Pier toward Canary Wharf on a three-hour Christmas lunch cruise. You’ll get a welcome glass of sparkling wine, a three-course turkey lunch, tea or coffee, and festive music from a live vocalist. The boat passes the London Eye, the Shard, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, with an upper deck for photos.

“The entire Experience was GREAT! The food, atmosphere, dancing…. we LOVED it from start to finish”

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11.Christmas Party Dinner Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 14 reviews · 4 hours · from $129

City Cruises’ four-hour Christmas party cruise leaves Tower Pier for a Thames trip toward Canary Wharf. You’ll get a welcome glass of sparkling wine, a three-course festive dinner with half a bottle of wine, and DJ-led dancing. The route passes landmarks including Tower Bridge, the Shard and the London Eye. It is an adults-only evening, with shared tables of 10.

“We all had a really fun time, thank you. The arrival time became a little confusing between the operator and the booking company. The staff were lovely, but some of the food arrived cold. The DJ and the music were loads of fun. And obviously the sights were amazing!”

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12.Festive London New Year’s Eve 3-Course Dinner Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★3.4 · 12 reviews · from $639

Spend five hours aboard a heated pleasure boat, sailing from Tower Pier towards Greenwich and back to Westminster. You’ll have a three-course dinner, half a bottle of wine, live music and a midnight Champagne toast. The fireworks view is the main attraction, but a bridge may obstruct part of the sightline.

“The view for the fireworks is behind a bridge and not from the front. The evening was not festive, it's a shame for the price.”

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13.Tour of London and Christmas Day Lunch Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 9 reviews · 7 hours · from $307

This seven-hour Christmas Day outing pairs a guided panoramic coach tour past Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and Buckingham Palace with lunch aboard a luxury river liner. You get a welcome glass of sparkling wine, an English-speaking guide and a shared table for ten. Choose your menu when booking or at least 72 hours ahead.

“Buen paseo con un guía sin tanto conocimiento histórico, al terminar el paso en autobús solo nos dejaron junto al Embarcadero y nosotros tuvimos que indagar entre toda la gente donde sería nuestro paseo por el río, luego me indicaron que no sería partícipe por que esa empresa no trabajaba ese día y tuve que aclarar el problema ya que no hay nadie que ayude. Ya al revisar sus listas las personas en el embarcadero encontramos mi nombre y pude acceder al paseo.”

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14.Christmas Lights Tour – With Christmas Music

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 9 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $45

Follow an English-speaking guide from the Marquis of Granby through central London’s Christmas-lit streets, with silent-disco headsets, a festive playlist and stops to take in the route. Vicki, Sam and Roy have led some tours. The walk lasts 90 minutes, passes Oxford Street, Carnaby Street and Covent Garden, and includes a photo stop on Pall Mall.

“A TRULY MAGICAL WAY TO START CHRISTMAS. VICKI,SAM AND ROY WERE FANTASTIC,FRIENDLY ,ENERGETIC AND EXTREMELY HELPFUL. EXCELLENT VALUE FOR MONEY,WELL ORGANISED WOULD RECOMMEND AND WE WILL BE RETURNING WELL DONE !!”

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15.Christmas Lights Self Guided Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 8 reviews · from $9Best value

This self-guided app tour takes you from the Strand through Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Regent Street, Seven Dials and Covent Garden. GPS-linked audio, an offline map and directions guide you past festive lights, markets and the famous Christmas tree. There is no live guide or transport included.

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